Return values
The return values of functions are one of those things where Python is ahead of the competition. In most other languages, functions are usually allowed to return only one object but, in Python, you can return a tuple—which implies that you can return whatever you want. This feature allows a programmer to write software that would be much harder to write in other languages, or certainly more tedious. We've already said that to return something from a function we need to use the return
statement, followed by what we want to return. There can be as many return
statements as needed in the body of a function.
On the other hand, if within the body of a function we don't return anything, or we invoke a bare return
statement, the function will return None
. This behavior is harmless when it's not needed, but allows for interesting patterns, and confirms Python as a very consistent language.
We say it's harmless because you are never forced to...